


Escape

by rockinmomoko



Series: Sun and Moon [3]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, Gen, How Do I Tag, OC-centric, Reunions, Separations
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-01
Updated: 2020-08-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:48:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25644565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rockinmomoko/pseuds/rockinmomoko
Summary: “Let me come with you.”Zuko jumps, as does his uncle, when the soft voice comes from behind them. It is only the fact that they recognize the speaker that keeps them from attacking. He turns, heart in his throat, to see someone he had thought he had lost forever.“Kanna.”After weeks apart Zuko and Kanna have been reunited in the North Pole, but will it last?
Relationships: Iroh & Zuko (Avatar), Iroh (Avatar) & Original Female Character(s), Zuko (Avatar)/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Sun and Moon [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1859098
Comments: 3
Kudos: 50





	Escape

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Embers](https://archiveofourown.org/works/3591783) by [Vathara](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vathara/pseuds/Vathara). 
  * Inspired by [Tempest in a Teacup](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/63600) by AkaVertigo. 



> Okay, so this series and oc have been my baby for a long time and I'm finally posting it because I was encouraged to by my friends. 
> 
> A couple things to note, first of which is that there are elements to this fic that are very heavily inspired by two incredible fics in this fandom, Embers by Vathara and Tempest in a Teacup by AkaVertigo. I highly suggest you go read both, because they're really amazing. I haven't actually read Tempest in a Teacup in a long time, but I read it pretty early on in my fandom career and it definitely influenced how I developed this oc.
> 
> Second, this oc has developed from my first ever oc back from when I watched Avatar as a kid when it came out. She's gone through a lot to get here and I love her very much.
> 
> Third, a lot of the background for this particular fic will be covered in other fics in the series, but I may not post them in chronological order, so hopefully it won't be too confusing.
> 
> And, of course, a disclaimer: I don't own anything Avatar related except for this Kanna. The exchange "I'm tired." "Then rest." is directly from canon.

“Let me come with you.”

Zuko jumps, as does his uncle, when the soft voice comes from behind them. It is only the fact that they recognize the speaker that keeps them from attacking. He turns, heart in his throat, to see someone he had thought he had lost forever.

“Kanna.” His wife. She’s here! And she wants to come with him! Hope begins fluttering in his chest before he pushes it down. She can’t come. He refuses to put her through what awaits them out there on the water.

“Zuko.” He shivers when she says his name. Oh, how he’d missed her. Before he can think he’s moved and pulled her into a tight embrace. He buries his face in her neck. He breathes deeply, soaking himself in the warmth of her. Funny, that he was the firebender and he’d missed her warmth. She returns the embrace with equal strength even as she seems to melt into his arms. It soothes something in him, this physical proof that she’d missed him and still wanted him.

Seconds trickle past with each of them finding comfort in the other before Zuko hears Uncle clear his throat. They pull apart, only for Uncle to snatch Kanna from him and smother her in his own firm hug. Zuko snorts but can’t help the pleased smile that creeps onto his face at the sight. He had missed this. Her absence has been a gaping wound he hadn’t known how to deal with, and neither had his uncle. Despite having lost his own wife and son, the separation from Kanna had made him feel just as lost as Zuko. She had come to be like his own daughter in the years he’d helped raise her, and the amount of trust and loyalty that existed between the three of them now made it difficult to be without each other. That it hadn’t been a willing parting had made it that much worse.

Now she’s here, and she wants to come with them. To leave her brother and sister, even the Avatar and the Northern Water Tribe. His good mood flees as quickly as it came. He can’t let her come with them. He _can’t_. He isn’t even sure he and Uncle will be surviving this trip, there’s no way he’ll endanger her that way. She’s his _wife_. He refuses to let any harm come to her that he can knowingly prevent. A flash of red, bubbling skin and a scream of pain floods his mind and he flinches away from the memory. Never again. He will never let something like that happen to her ever again.

Zuko emerges from his thoughts to see Kanna and Uncle fervently discussing something, although both give him relieved looks when they see he seems to be aware of them again. He grimaces internally. He needs to be better about not worrying them, or getting distracted by his thoughts. He focuses on their conversation.

“I’ve already gathered some food. It won’t be enough for the whole journey without some heavy rationing, but we should be able to fish at least a little bit and hunt some turtleseals and birds before we get too far out. We’ll be able to stretch it out longer that way.”

“That is a good plan, and we will certainly take advantage of it, but my dear are you certain you wish to join us? Your family is here, and a tribe that will welcome you.” Zuko ruthlessly smothers a spark of anger that rises at that. Uncle is right, and it is exactly what he himself had been planning on saying anyway.

Kanna’s look has him grimacing again. She is not pleased by that comment.

“My _family_ is you two. You know I’ve walked the line between my two families for a long time, and I can understand your hesitance to part me from my siblings, but I promised that I would stand by you, no matter what. As much as it may hurt to leave them behind, it’s my choice and I’m choosing, again, to follow you. In my heart, in my _spirit_ , I no longer only identify myself as Kanna of the Southern Water Tribe, daughter of Kya and Chief Hakoda, sister of Sokka and Katara. I am also Kanna, ward of General Iroh, sister of Prince Lu Ten, and wife of Prince Zuko. Unless,” here her voice softens and a hint of uncertainty replaces the confident lilt she’d had before, “you’ve come to your senses and realized that you want nothing to do with me.”

Zuko and Iroh both rear back before Zuko once again finds himself pulling Kanna to him. This time, a growl rumbles in his throat and he feels a rush of shame and anger burn through him. How could she ever think he didn’t want her? What had happened in the time they’d been separated for her to doubt his love for her? He cursed the Avatar and his companions, knowing this was somehow their fault. In the meantime, he needed to find a way to reassure Kanna.

Feeling her body tremble in his arms as she tried not to cry while her hands clutched tightly at the fabric of his shirt makes him want to find whoever had caused her this pain and rip them to shreds. His own determination to leave without her – for her own safety – is rapidly crumbling. After a moment of soothing his flaring anger he speaks.

“Kanna, listen to me.” His voice is gruff. “I chose you, too. We're married; I'm your husband and you're my wife. I will _never_ want nothing to do with you. These past weeks have been _torture_ because I could not be with you. So don’t you ever think I will ‘come to my senses’ as you put it.”

“My nephew is right, my dear. I did not mean to imply we did not want you to be with us. I view you as my own daughter, and I believe Prince Zuko has made his own feelings quite clear on the matter. And I should have known better than to say what I did. You have demonstrated time and again that you truly consider us family, and I am a fool for implying I do not believe you. I simply do not want to take those who you consider family from you.”

The tension bleeds out of Kanna’s body and Zuko finds himself supporting most of her body weight as her legs give out from under her as well.

“I’m sorry,” she murmurs, “I’ve just been so worried you would turn me away if I tried to come with you.”

He shushes her even as his gut twists at the reminder that he’d been planning on doing just that. And while it wouldn’t have been for the reasons she thought, she wouldn’t have believed him. Now, though, he has to figure out what to do. He’s still worried about bringing her along, but he can’t tell her no.

Keeping an eye on their surroundings in case more waterbenders sneak up on them, he gently lowers himself and Kanna to the ground, still holding her close. Once he thinks she’s calmed down enough he speaks again.

“Kanna. This is isn’t me saying I don’t want you to come with us, but I want to make sure you’re sure. What about your waterbending? Were you able to find a Master, and do you really want to leave them if you have?” Kanna shifts in his hold so she’s sitting perpendicular to him on his lap, still leaning her head into his chest. He thinks she’s anchoring herself to his heartbeat, which makes him squeeze her closer. She sighs.

“I did find a Master waterbender willing to teach me, but I had to fight him for the honor. The Northern Water Tribe doesn’t teach women to fight, only to heal. Katara and I both fought him, and after our fight he agreed to teach us. Apparently, the mark of a Master waterbender is the ability to shift the phases of the water, not the memorization of forms since water is so fluid and has few defined katas. Because of that, he declared that he would teach me a few specific katas but that in essence I was already a Master because of how easily I can go from ice to water to steam and any level in between.”

She looked up at him, biting her lip. He raised an eyebrow at her, to which she ducked her head again. He wasn’t surprised at her skill, but he knew she was afraid he’d be jealous. It’s not really an unreasonable fear to have, considering his own firebending skills, but he will always be proud of her abilities. He wiggled slightly, a small smile on his lips, urging her to continue.

“In the meantime, I continued to take lessons from the healers in the healing huts. A lot of what they taught I taught myself through trial and error. Some of the more advanced things I learned from the healing scrolls Uncle bought and gave to me secretly. Instead, they focused on teaching me how to keep myself separate from my inner water while bending so that I can have more control over it. I feel like I’ve learned all they can teach me, so I’m not worried about that.”

“That really is incredible, Kanna. We knew you were an incredible bender, and this just proves it.”

Kanna shakes her head. “I’m just lucky. I was able to secretly train with you and Uncle for long enough that I gained an instinctive sense of the water. Since water is more of an instinctive element it makes sense. And by that, I mean it doesn’t have as many set katas, although it does have them. The push and pull that makes up the flow of water can be turned into anything, whereas the control you have to have over fire makes it more difficult to use that way. Or at least that’s what I think from watching you. I don’t actually know, what with not being a firebender after all.”

~~~

In the end, Zuko gives in. There’s no way he can leave her behind after the way she’d clung to him. They finish gathering supplies, including filtered water and cured meats that Kanna snuck from the Tribe. As they’re preparing to push off, however, they hear voices come close. All three of them freeze, staring in the direction they were coming from. Zuko meets Kanna’s gaze and she mouths the word _guards_. He nods. He’d assumed as much, but it was nice to have it confirmed.

Kanna darts forward. Zuko grabs her wrist, already knowing what she’s planning. After letting himself agree to have her come, he’s not prepared to lose her again. She turns to him and he stiffens at the tears in her eyes. She pulls his head down and kisses him firmly on the lips. Before he can properly respond, or even think, she pulls away and out of his grip. He sees her bend the tears away quickly before flitting around the corner.

“Hey there! Is there anything I can do to help with the reconstruction?” He clenches his fists, hating the false enthusiasm in her voice. He doubts anyone but he or Uncle would realize it was false, but he knows his wife. A hand on his shoulder distracts him from the guards’ reply. Zuko turns to his Uncle and finds matching grief in his face.

“Let’s not waste her distraction. She would not want us to get caught for her sake,” he whispers. Zuko clenches his teeth and squeezes his eyes shut, feeling tears leak out the sides. He angrily brushes them away. Uncle is right. He won’t waste this opportunity.

He and Uncle quickly load all their supplies onto the raft they’d made. Kanna had helped, her childhood lessons in raft and canoe construction helping them make it sturdier than they would’ve managed on their own. As soon as it’s ready Uncle hops on and gestures for Zuko to follow. He takes one last look at the corner that Kanna had gone around before forcing himself to jump onto the raft. Uncle quickly casts off and they use makeshift paddles to make their way further out. Eventually they just let the tide pull them out and Zuko sits, watching the icy shore shrink into the distance.

He feels Uncle sit next to him but he doesn’t turn to look at him. Instead he continues to sit, willing himself not to cry. Uncle sighs.

“We will meet her again, nephew. I am sure of it.”

Zuko isn’t so sure he believes that so instead he says, “I’m tired.” Uncle sighs again.

“Then rest. We have a long journey ahead of us.”

Zuko ignores him, and lies on his back. He closes his eyes, Kanna’s face flashing in his head and the pendant under his chest heavier than ever. Rest. He needs rest.


End file.
